Rumor Has It
by Mistyflower68
Summary: Hawkpaw is deranged. Hawkpaw is evil. Hawkpaw is ruthless. Did you know that Hawkpaw is not stupid. That she actually can hear the insults slithering behind her back? The gossip about her spreading like wildfire, the whispers of hatred. She's famous in the Clans, or to put with more accuracy, infamous. However she is far from normal. Hawkpaw is an orphan. Hawpaw killed her parents.


**Full Summary****:** Hawkpaw is deranged. Hawkpaw is evil. Hawkpaw is ruthless. Hawkpaw is brutal. Hawkpaw is the villain. But did you know that Hawkpaw is not stupid. That she actually can hear the insults slithering behind her back? The gossip about her spreading like wildfire, the whispers of hatred. She's famous in the Clans, or to put with more accuracy, infamous. For a deed that keeps her countless fox-lengths away from normality. Hawkpaw is an orphan. Hawkpaw is unwanted. Hawkpaw murdered her parents.

**Prologue**

Nobody would know, nor would they ever find out.

It was framed flawlessly, nothing would add up to mean anything; an unsolvable case, nothing but a game in the eye of the beholder.

It was perfect.

And awaiting the victims, the predator lay in the thicket, drawing its tongue over its fangs one more time before it struck. And in a heartbeat's time, it cleansed its teeth again, however this time they were stained with fresh dark blood.

"Have you heard from Berryfoot and Graytail?"

The shrill voice snapped Thistlestar from her thoughts.

"What?" She spoke in a hard quick tone. She didn't have time for this nonsense really. Had the rest of her Clan know the stresses that were piling up on her shoulders they would be much more sympathetic. What with the constant threats from ThunderClan and the uneasy feeling whenever Redstorm and Lightfeather would accompany each other on a patrol, despite Thistlestar's specific orders to her deputy to keep them apart.

"They're perfectly fine together!" The defiant cat would hiss at her. "They're nothing more than two cats going to renew our borders! Don't let your insecurities get the better of you mouse-brain!"

She really ought to have whacked her deputy for that remark, instead of letting him get away with such disrespectful speaking.

_It's just a huge mess. _She thought, defeated.

"Berryfoot and Graytail have yet to return… from my knowledge." The petit medicine cat repeated, her large blue eyes flashing nervously from side to side.

"Why should I know where those two love-birds have fled off to this time?" Thistlestar growled. "It's absolutely none of my business where they go in their spare time. Their kit is an apprentice now, correct? They aren't held down for many serious duties anymore. It's not a problem of mine."

The white and ginger she-cat shrank back at her leader's scorn. "My apologies, Thistlestar." She mewed quietly. "But they have been missing now for a full sunrise; nobody has heard from them or even gone searching."

Thistlestar sighed. Really, why did she try anymore? "Tell Thickpelt to send out a patrol to look for them, then… and make sure that either Redstorm or Lightfeather are in it, but not both!" She commanded.

"Yes, of course." The smaller cat obeyed, disappearing into the shadows outside of Thistlestar's den.

"I suppose I'd better come with." Thistlestar whispered to herself. "The Clan is already gossiping about how I don't interact enough with them." She let out an irritated sigh. "Whatever that means."

Thistlestar slid out of her den quietly, picking up her head as she saw the fluffy dark gray shape of her deputy, Thickpelt, gathering a small group of cats. Thistlestar stalked over to them, eyeing the other cats who were attending as she did so. She recognized that Thickpelt had chosen Lightfeather instead of Redstorm, which truthfully Thistlestar was relieved for. Conversations had been nothing but awkward and threatening between her and her mate lately.

"I'm coming too." Thistlestar meowed, stepping up to Thickpelt.

Her deputy nodded, his amber eyes glowering as he scanned the crowd. "Alright then… Lightfeather, you can stay here than."

Fury immediately rose inside of Thistlestar. Thickpelt had done that on purpose. It took everything she had in her to keep from killing the arrogant foul-breath. Jealousy and betrayal erupted inside of her as she noticed Lightfeather sprint off to Redstorm, whose eyes lit up when she told him she was staying as her tail wavered back and forth flirtatiously. "We're talking later." Thistlestar snarled into Thickpelt's ear.

Thickpelt didn't bother to acknowledge her.

"We're leaving now." Thistlestar announced to the patrol of cats. "We're going to start at the two-leg nest. It would be just like the kittypets who live there to pull something on us like this."

"The kittypets haven't given us troubles for ages." Thickpelt argued. "It's only nursery-tales that involve them, way back in the time of Blackstar. There is no living cat who would have personally met them."

"Don't oppose my authority." Thistlestar growled at her deputy, lashing her tail angrily. She was absolutely not in the mood for his behavior. "ShadowClan, follow me." She commanded, stalking past Thrushpelt in frustration as he picked up the rear.

"Wait!"

They were nearly out of the camp when the young voice squeaked. "StarClan almighty, what is it now!" Thistlestar yowled, her fur on end as she turned around to see the speaker, a young newly-made apprentice with long dark brown tabby and white fur. Her green eyes glistened innocently as Thistlestar left her burning gaze on her.

"Well? Speak up then." Thistlestar demanded, holding up the rest of the patrol until the apprentice spoke.

"I… I want to come with."

Thistlestar frowned, squinting her eyes at the small cat. "Ah… that's right. You're Berryfoot and Graytail's only surviving one of the litter. I suppose you should come along then. Just don't be too scarred by whatever you see." She added darkly.

The little apprentice opened her jaws to respond when she was silenced by the tail of a larger cat that Thistlestar recognized as one of her warriors, Blackwhisker. The dark tabby tom was who – if her memory wasn't failing her already – she had assigned to mentor this cat.

"Hawkpaw, you are being ridiculous." He meowed, giving the apprentice a stern but caring look. "You have just yet to start your apprenticeship. You have only been out once before, your skills would be of no aid to this serious event."

"Blackwhisker!" Hawkpaw groaned. "Come on, they're my parents!"

Blackwhisker narrowed his green eyes. "You and your parents have never gotten along." He remarked.

"They're still my blood!" Hawkpaw hissed. "I wouldn't ignore them just because I don't like them!"

"Either way, Hawkpaw!" Blackwhisker's voice grew more serious. "You are small. You can't keep up with them; you would only slow them down. We already went out today, you're undoubtedly exhausted."

Hawkpaw turned away from her mentor, instead facing Thistlestar. "Please?" She begged.

"We won't wait up for you. But you can come." Thistlestar huffed.

Hawkpaw's face erupted into a look of pleasure as she sprinted forward to join the patrol. Blackwhisker, on the other hand, looked horrified.

"Thistlestar, what are you thinking!" His voice dropped into a whisper. "You don't know what you'll find! Hawkpaw is much too young to be exposed to this!"

Thistlestar scoffed. "Please, Blackwhisker. They'll all be exposed to death at some point in their lives. In my opinion it's better the earlier they do see death. Then it won't be such a shock and weak point when their older."

Blackwhisker's tail drooped, and Thistlestar smirked, knowing she had defeated him in this argument. She hardly noticed how clouded up that Hawkpaw's eyes were getting, and the smell of fear was evident as well. "Keep up then." She told the apprentice before whisking out of camp.

Thistlestar set the pace to be fast and efficient. She could hear the stumbling of Hawkpaw every so often, but she brushed it off, not bothering to stop for her, and she noticed that Thickpelt meant business as well as he flanked his leader. They arrived at the two-leg nest very quickly; Thistlestar noticed that Hawkpaw was no longer with them when they arrived. She smirked to herself in satisfaction. "Does anybody pick up their smell here?" she questioned, not bothering to check for herself.

"A kittypet was here." Spoke up a tawny she-cat. "Pretty fresh as well. I bet that we could follow that and see where it leads us; it looks as if he headed further into our territory – down towards the lake."

Thistlestar nodded to her. "You lead then."

The tawny cat led them down the worn path that led to the lake. There was still no sign of Hawkpaw, despite that they had stopped at the nest for a little while, giving time for Hawkpaw to potentially catch up.

Thistlestar brushed it off, her mind already too occupied on all of the problems that she was dealing with. _How dare ThunderClan accuse us of trespassing? They're mouse-brains. All of them. _

"Thistlestar! Thickpelt! I found them!"

Thistlestar's head snapped up, her eyes focusing on the tabby pelt of Hawkpaw as the apprentice sprinted up to them.

"Speak up then." She ordered, noticing her Clanmates' fur stand on end from the ominous statement.

"I-I… They're…" Hawkpaw choked on her own words, clearly trembling under her own skin. "I… I found them… and I… I saw them… They're really… StarClan, they…"

"Enough!" Thistlestar snapped. "Tell me where and follow behind best you can."

"They're on the border to ThunderClan down at the lakeside." She gulped. "In the water."

Thistlestar waved her tail for the patrol to follow her as she took off now at a full sprint, picturing the area that Hawkpaw had described. She knew exactly where she was talking about, and it wasn't far from where they were.

She could see the scene as they arrived. Two bodies floating in the water as the waves pushed them on shore and then pulled them off. She slowed to halt with Thickpelt behind her.

"Great StarClan!" Her deputy breathed in horror.

Slowly, Thistlestar walked towards the bodies, able to identify them more confidently as Berryfoot and Graytail. She instantly tasted the air, their deaths seemed to be awfully recent, and if she was going to smell who did it, she would be able to smell them now.

She picked up the scent of the kittypet, though as far as she could tell it was staler than these deaths were, of course she hadn't always been too much of an expert for tracking. With Thickpelt's help, she dragged the two bodies further onto the shore so that she could inspect them more closely. Parting the creamy tabby fur of Berryfoot, she detected a small and clean bite to the neck, not very large, but not very big either, still bleeding profusely though the light in Berryfoot's eyes were far gone.

"This kill was done quickly." She noted to her deputy.

Thickpelt nodded. "Whoever killed them finished her off first. There was more of a struggle between them and Graytail." He pointed out the long claw marks on Graytail's back and stomach. "Who would've done this." He whispered.

Thistlestar paused, trying to recollect her thoughts and deeply think for a while. She closed her eyes shut, aware of her Clanmates' eyes on her.

"It was Hawkpaw." She breathed, opening her eyes.

"What!" She heard Hawkpaw's voice of outrage. "Are you out of your mind, Thistlestar?"

"No…" Thistlestar sighed. "It adds up, Hawkpaw. You disappeared from the patrol when we were scouting the two-leg nest. You were the first to see them and come running up to show us… It must've been you."

"Thistlestar! I wasn't fast enough to keep up with you! I got thirsty and exhausted so I came down to the lake to get a drink of water when I saw my parents. _My parents _Thistlestar! Do you really think that I would murder them in cold blood?"

"You said it yourself early that you didn't like them." Thistlestar replied, letting no emotion show on her face.

"I… You're absurd! How would I be able to take on two warriors! I just became an apprentice three sun-rises ago!" Hawkpaw defended herself.

"Berryfoot wouldn't have been difficult. She had just left the nursery and it would be simple to give a quick killing bite. However, as Thickpelt said Graytail fought back more…" Thistlestar broke off, examining Hawkpaw closely. "Are those… claw marks on your stomach and chest?"

Hawkpaw looked down to examine herself. "Those are scratches from when I tripped and fell trying to keep up with you!" she hissed.

"You killed them." Thistlestar whispered. "You killed your own parents."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Thistlestar." Thickpelt meowed, casting a glance of unease at the ShadowClan leader. "It very well could've been a kittypet, or a ThunderClan warrior."

"There is no direct clues." Added the tawny warrior.

"It's undisclosed then." Thistlestar meowed, still eyeing Hawkpaw intensely. "This will only be discussed between Thickpelt, Blossomfur, and me." She glared at her patrol. "Between a leader, her deputy, and the medicine cat." She rephrased. "Don't speak of this to anyone." She hissed. "And send Blossomfur out her to speak with us."

Then with a flick of her tail, she shooed away the rest of her Clanmates, only her and Thickpelt staying behind alone with the two corpses.

Hawkpaw entered camp, fear stinging in her mind as she trembled in her paws. She tried to take deep breaths, but they were only shaky and quick. Blackwhisker was awaiting her as she arrived, obviously expecting her to stop and tell him the news, but Hawkpaw only mindlessly walked past him and to the apprentice's den where she curled up in her neat mossy bed, trying to hide her eyes from the horrors that she'd seen today.

And somewhere in the distance, she heard a whisper.

"Did you know that it was Hawkpaw is a murderer?"

** Well, hey I'm back! Read my profile for some more info. If you haven't noticed, this story is taking a bit more of a mature theme than my usual. It seriously was difficult to keep from letting Thistlestar use a few curse words, I don't think the Erin's buttered down language to insult really expressed Thistlestar's immense fury. But hey! That's just me! **

** If you guys do like this, and want me to continue it, please tell me! It will be awhile before I get the next chapter up, being that I'd like to be a few chapters ahead so that I don't disappoint you. **

** What're your thoughts so far? On Thistlestar and her ordeals or watching the main character from another cat's point of view before we switch to hers in the upcoming chapter? **

** Who do you think did it? ThunderClan, a Kittypet, Hawkpaw, or?**

** Hope you enjoyed it! I really had a good time writing it!**


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